Pirelli scores another victory at Pikes Peak

The 104th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) in Colorado has concluded with Frenchman Romain Dumas claiming victory, driving the Ford Super Mustang Mach-E electric car, equipped with Pirelli tires, with a time of 8 minutes 18.202 seconds, earning him the title of "King of the Mountain" for the sixth time in his career.

On the famous 19.99-kilometer track with 156 turns leading to the summit of Pikes Peak at an altitude of 4302 meters, Pirelli also partnered with previous winner Simone Faggioli, who piloted the Nova Proto NP01 ATM Bardahl. The Italian, along with Dumas, dominated the free practice and qualifying sessions, but was ultimately hindered by a technical issue, finishing third overall.

During the competition, Pirelli supplied its partners with tires of various specifications, with Faggioli using 13-inch Pirelli P Zero Hillclimb tires and Dumas using 18-inch P Zero tires, developed from GT-class racing tires and specifically designed for the Ford electric car.

"The Pikes Peak Hill Climb continues to prove itself as exceptionally demanding for both drivers and vehicles, as well as tires," said Terenzio Testoni, Pirelli's Rally Program Manager, who coordinated the company's participation in the hill climb along with Matteo Braga, Track Racing Manager. "This year's competition took place under significant changes in conditions: from approximately 20 degrees at the start to sub-zero temperatures at the summit, with an extremely wide temperature range observed over a distance of less than 20 km. Dumas' victory confirms the effectiveness of our collaboration with Ford, while Faggioli's third-place finish, despite being hindered by issues, demonstrates the competitiveness of our tires even on the most challenging tracks in international motorsport."

Prior to the race, Testoni noted that the results of the pilots at Pikes Peak are influenced not only by the weather but also by other factors, such as the gain in altitude. "As you climb to the summit, internal combustion engines lose power, whereas electric cars do not experience such a decline in performance," he explained. "At the same time, this is only a theoretical advantage, as the increased mass of electric vehicles is also an important factor. Additionally, this year, just a week before the race, the surface of the final section was updated, which also has an impact."

According to him, Pirelli prepared tires from two different lines for the race, all of which meet the requirements of the hill climb, in the sense that the level of grip is certainly important, but not sufficient. "As the organizers say, the outcome of the race is always decided by the mountain itself, but the ability to use effective and reliable tires can play a key role, especially in the most extreme conditions and with sudden temperature changes," Testoni pointed out.

In the past, Faggioli and Dumas have taken the top spots, and the top five participants have used Pirelli P Zero tires. The Frenchman set the absolute record for the race in 2018, becoming the first in history to finish in under eight minutes, and his collaboration with Ford has previously yielded very high results: in 2023, a record was set for modified electric pickups/minivans (when the driver piloted the Ford Performance SuperVan 4.2), and in 2024, a victory was achieved in the overall standings on the Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck, with Pirelli P Zero tires used in both cases.

Photo: fordracing.com